TIME TO STUDY YOUR WINNINGS
Time To Study can make amends for an unfortunate defeat last time out in totepool Barry Hills Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham tomorrow.
The four-year-old flew home in the valuable Queen’s Cup at Musselburgh.
However, PJ McDonald was not alone in giving Andrew Mullen on Brandon Castle too much rope at the head of affairs and he narrowly failed to catch him by a rapidly diminishing neck.
The two meet again but this time Mark Johnston’s Time To Study is 6lb better off.
It is far from a twohorse race, with the likes of Clever Cookie, seventh in that Musselburgh race, Saigon City, Lord Yeats, Nearly Caught and Mountain Bell lining up.
But time To Study’s ability to handle heavy ground and the fact he has more scope to progress than most stands him in good stead.
Mayson won a July Cup on heavy ground so his filly Fondest will have no trouble handling the conditions in the toteplacepot Novice Stakes.
James Fanshawe’s youngster hinted at ability last year and can take a step forward with a winter on her back.
Sir Roderic might be worth giving one more chance to off a lowly mark in the totetrifecta Handicap.
Rod Millman’s charge runs off just 79 having been as high as 96 at the start of last season. He at least will handle the ground.
John Gosden has made his usual good start to the season and his Fennaan looks a colt of immense promise ahead of the first division of the Racing UKsponsored novice stakes over seven furlongs.
Fifth of 10 on his debut last September when he looked very green, he showed that experience had done him the world of good next time out at Newbury.
He was always just doing enough to hold off the favourite and while the winning distance was only a head, he won quite cosily in the end.
It takes a smart sort to concede a 7lb penalty in these races but Gosden was speaking of him in favourable terms after he got off the mark.
Later on the card Silvestre de Sousa is a notable jockey booking by Ed de Giles for Bombero in the 32Red Casino Handicap.
A winner at Nottingham in August, he showed up well on his seasonal return at Doncaster when second in an apprentice handicap.
That outing on Town Moor was still just his seventh in all so there should be more to come, especially with the champion jockey on board fore the first time off just 1lb higher.
Another lightly-raced type is Robert Stephens’ Castlelyons in the 32Red Handicap.
He signed off last year winning his final two races and after 130 days off he reappears off just 2lb higher than the second win, a race which has worked out well.
Michael Bell’s Geetanjali has a great chance of a hat-trick in the John Bolton Memorial Handicap at Lingfield.
She won off 54 at the end of last month by just a neck but followed up off 3lb higher at Chelmsford in more clear-cut fashion.
While there is a 6lb penalty to contend with this time Bell has found a very weak race and employed the services of useful claimer Cameron Noble to offset 5lb.
Peter Chapple-Hyam’s Lubinka was sent off at 150-1 in the Fillies’ Mile but she was far from disgraced when sixth of 11, beaten a little over six lengths.
She could run a stone below that form and still will the 32Red Fillies’ Novice Median Auction Stakes.
The Paul Nichollstrained Mont Des Avaloirs faces a much easier task than of late and should take some stopping in the Smarkets Novices’ Hurdle at Market Rasen.